An admiring glance

[Mike McCarty]

Cousins they are...

For an outdoor photo I think this is not too bad. I like the admiring glance and the lighting is not terrible.

I do, however, wish I had not cropped it so tightly. To me it has the sort of unfulfilling look you get when you go in too close. I think it works well for a photo but not best for a portrait. But I did it, and there will be no going back. The boy is now a junior at the Univ. of Texas.

Anyone have any thoughts on regaining some fulfillment of composition, or other matters.

[Steven Sweeney]

You've noted the compositional challenge, Mike, and though they're both cute kids, these are "Two Heads" (with "A Tree") filling a frame, and there are other problems, not the least of which is the enormously different size of the heads -- which, again, are in near-horizontally linear relation compositionally [indeed, almost triangular, pointing out of the painting, in resistance to the gaze] -- without contextual explanation in terms of depth or relative size of other anatomical forms or posture, and I can't but help think that will seem more than odd to any viewer, even allowing for differences in age.

The girl's gaze toward her brother has the suggestion (at least) that if she were to look back toward us, she'd be cross-eyed. I doubt that's the case, but that extreme side focus has skewed her eyes into what seems to me an awkward "pose". You'll have to be mindful of that, especially when rendering the eye on our right.

Just gadding about, making difficult assessments -- unless you're a portrait artist, and then I'm trying to make things easier. This looks like a tough one. Not saying you can't pull it off, but it's the hard way to do it.

You're right, though -- should you have a go at this, there are some lighting "gifts" in the reference photo, though as well some challenges in the skin tones (and their effect on form) that will call for attentive and subtle treatment. (But -- another gift -- look at how much information you're getting there in terms of color in the transitions between value areas.)

[Mike McCarty]

We've talked me out of it. I have made a promise to myself not to do anymore of these less than good compositions.

I have another offering of the same girl which I think is better. Her right hand seems a bit awkward but I think I could deal with it in some way. I might be able to drop her right arm down by her side loosing that hand. Very few of them are perfect.

[Chris Saper]

Hi Mike,

When I first looked at the Photo #1, my initial thought was that there was a lot of photo distortion, and that the relative sizing of the two heads didn't look right. However, I think you could do a single subject painting of the boy - nice light quality, and fun to paint.

I think you have the skill to make an excellent painting from the second photo resource, although I am having the same sense of lens distortion in the feet and hands...do you see the disproportionate appearance between right and left?

As to the hand on our left, I'd say you can correct the size yourself without difficulty; fix that little finger. This funny hand position is so very charcteristic of toddlers that it doesn't bother me. (No adult could actually get their hands in this position. Or if they did, couldn't get out of it unaided.)

Good luck!

[Mike McCarty]

Chris,

The little girl is my now seventeen year old daughter. If you look close you can see her seat belt. This shot was taken in an airplane on a trip to Saint Louis. I've always kept the photo close by.

Just for fun (not a good painting reference) I'll post another of my sentimental favorites. This is my daughter the morning of her first day of kindergarten. What shall we do when they leave? Besides having a great time converting to complete Bohemianism.

[Jean Kelly]

What a cutie! I'd paint this one on sentiment alone. She looks so apprehensive. And yes, after kids leave, our true personalities come out. Bohemian, beatnik, hippie, artist, musician, reactionary, but guess what, when the grandkids show up its back to normal.

Jean

[Karin Wells]

Nice light. I'd paint this portrait cropped (below) because I wouldn't want to tear my hair out trying to correct the distortion of the hands and feet in this photo. I'd also get rid of the label on the overalls. Her big round eyes and those buttons are a nice design touch too.

This will make a wonderful little painting. Yum.

[Mike McCarty]

Jean and Karin,

That really looks nice. It's all about making good decisions. Nice little highlight touch on the lip. Thanks for looking and taking the time to help.

When she was born they placed her in my lap. Those big dark eyes latched onto me and I've been her chump ever since.